Children of the Two Isles
by MaidenInTheMoon
Summary: Sakura had never questioned her country, and perhaps that was her problem. When Sakura finds herself on a long, drawnout mission of questionable legality, her faith is in her sole companion, and she just might get to see his face this time. [KakaSaku]
1. Here, There and Everywhere

Chapter 1: Here, There and Everywhere

_Stamp._

_Squish._

_Stamp._

_Squish._

_Stamp._

_Squish._

Sakura grabbed another report. Sliding it into her line of vision, she proceeded to slam the rubber stamper down onto the first page. She then buried the poor stamp into the spongy pad of red ink near her right hand only to repeat the motion with the next group of papers. The reports quickly passed by her into a steadily growing completed pile. Each packet of paper bore a fresh "accepted" sign on the upper right hand corner.

Occasionally Sakura would come by a familiar name on a title page, and only then did she take a few extra moments to peruse the paper. The reports belonging to those she knew were painfully predictable.

Shikamaru's redefined short:

**Completed with no casualties; did not go over allotted budget. Paid in foreign currency.**

Sasuke's, on the other hand, were long, detailed and penned in pristine, slanted kanji. They went as far as accounting for every jutsu performed on the mission. Sakura couldn't help but stifle a laugh when she noticed what Sasuke had written at the end of mission log.

**We found mushrooms in the forest and cooked them with oil. They turned out to be poisonous and caused severe vomiting among several members of the group. I would like a medic-nin on the next mission.**

Naruto's reports bore the exact signs that Sakura had expected from the boy who could barely read a page of decent writing much less produce one. His notes were barely legible, and eraser smudges and black spots littered the paper. In many places Naruto had attempted so vigorously to rub out his errors that the paper was torn straight through.

Sakura sighed.

_Twenty and relegated to doing office work_, she thought miserably to herself. Had she known that being the Hokage's sole apprentice would entail so much desk work, she may never have signed up. It wasn't that she lacked pride in her accomplishments. She was the only Konoha apprentice of the Hokage and a new jounin after all, but sometimes it simply didn't seem like she would ever see the action of the grand and adventurous missions she'd been on in her younger years. So few of the missions she'd been offered were up her alley nowadays. Clients were always clamoring for Uchihas or Hyuugas or Copy Ninjas or even crazy, hyper, number one unpredictable shinobi with enough chakra to fill ten swimming pools. They didn't ever seem to fancy fresh-faced kunoichis without clan affiliations, even if certain ones could reattach severed heads in under twelve seconds and still have enough chakra left to shatter a brick wall.

The light in Tsunade's office clicked off, and seconds later Sakura heard the distinct, quick clicks of her teacher's heels as they approached her desk.

"Oi, Sakura, you should go home now."

Clearly when Tsunade spoke she wasn't looking at mounds of paper work there swallowing Sakura's small work area.

"I have to finish checking these reports, shishou," was Sakura's prompt reply.

The Godaime shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Sakura. I know it's tedious, but someone's got to do it. You know I'm supposed to go over each of those myself, but I really just don't have the time, and besides Shizune, you're the only one I can trust to do it right."

This compliment filled Sakura with momentary pride, but the warm bubble in her chest burst quickly when Tsunade produced another twenty some-odd files out of thin air and dumped them on Sakura's desk with a sorry smile.

"I'll make it up to you. Why don't you take tomorrow off?"

The pink-haired kunoichi glanced at the clock. The slow ticking seemed to mock her. It was two o'clock in the morning. Technically it was already tomorrow so was she off?

By the time Sakura had opened her mouth to spit her witty comment at her master, the woman was already gone. The girl grumbled and prepared to once again bring her stamp down on the report sitting in front of her. On closer inspection, however, she realized the report belonged to none other than Chouji. Sakura quickly flipped to the back. As she had predicted, on the last line of the last page in the tiniest writing she'd ever seen, Chouji had scribbled the words "went over food budget." Sakura let out a half-amused half-irritated snort and jotted down a note in red pen.

**Question team leader about food budget**

- - - -

By the time Sakura had dragged her sorry body home to bed, the sun was already beginning to poke its head over the Eastern horizon. Pleased that she'd finally managed to clear out all the reports that had accumulated on Tsunade's desk over the last few months, Sakura fell against her pillow wearing a vague smile. The bonus she was going to receive for doing the ridiculous amount of paperwork would probably cover her for food that month, and knowing that she wouldn't have to pick up various and sundry C-class missions just to fill her fridge put her into a deep, happy sleep. When she woke up it was already late into the afternoon, and someone was knocking on her door.

Sakura hopped out of bed and walked briskly across her living room while she repeatedly ran her fingers through her hair to placate the mess. The person knocked again, and Sakura yelled an irate "I'm coming" at the closed door. When she finally swung the door open, an ANBU stood on her landing looking impatient--well Sakura assumed he looked impatient but it may have just been that his leopard mask looked that way.

The ANBU handed her a scroll, touched his finger to his forehead in acknowledgment and promptly disappeared. Sakura stood confused in the doorway and chewed on a cuticle. She wasn't supposed to get a mission for weeks since Shizune was out with a research team and Sakura was the only one Tsunade wanted on the surgical floor.

She unrolled the scroll carefully, mildly worried that someone was going to materialize from the seal, but the short parchment only held one command.

**Come see me, 11 o'clock**

So much for the day off, Sakura thought as a frown graced her face.

- - - -

Kakashi had been an elite ninja long enough to know that night briefings usually entailed covert and mild to moderately shady operations. The guise of darkness was supposed to make sure that talkative underlings and office slaves--essentially day laborers--didn't get wind of missions of dubious legality. Night briefings ensured that _only_ those directly involved in the mission would know exactly what was being executed. Needless to say the copy-ninja was mildly amused although unsurprised to see two of his ex-students making their way to Konoha's administrative building.

The yellow-haired kyuubi boy eagerly jumped up and down snatching at fireflies while the Uchiha heir walked stiffly at his side with his hands stuck in his pockets. Both were outfitted in their ANBU uniforms, yet neither had bothered to cover his face with his mask. Naruto's kitsune mask sat squarely atop his head like a woman's bonnet whereas Sasuke's raven-faced one hovered at the back of his neck like a miniature cape.

"Oi! Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted happily when he spotted his old teacher walking their way.

"What are you doing out so late?" shouted Naruto as he bounced in Kakashi's direction.

Sasuke only raised his hand in tacit acknowledgment, and Kakashi's right eye closed into a happy arc as he greeted the two boys with a "Yo!"

"Are you heading towards Oba-san's office?" Naruto asked warily when Kakashi's trajectory merged with his own. Kakashi gave a mild nod, and Naruto's face lit up like a lantern.

"We are too!" declared the blond boy happily as if it were the most coincidental thing in the world that three ninja who'd been paired on countless missions together would be heading towards the same place for the same debriefing.

Kakashi simply laughed at Naruto's ecstatic outburst, and the three continued their trek in silence.

When the three men arrived at the Godaime's office, Sakura was already there. It was the first time Kakashi had seen her since the girl's promotion, and as Konoha custom, she had traded in her chuunin outfit for a jounin one. Unlike males who were promoted in rank, non-ANBU jounin females were still allowed to dress as they pleased. The costume change was merely an act of announcing to the world that they had gone up on the totem pole.

Kakashi glanced at Sakura, who was leaning against the side wall with her arms folded. Sleek fishnets ran out from under a red, one-piece zip-up dress, and black fingerless, plated gloves much like his own covered her small but powerful hands. Her nails were painted a shade of deep purple that Akatsuki would have favored, and her bangs still fell in front of her hitai-ite. The rest of her hair was now pulled back in a loose bun secured with two, shiny senbon needles.

_Little jounin Sakura, all grown up, _Kakashi thought to himself and chuckled.

Sakura fixed her male teammates who had just entered the room with a cool glare and proceeded to turn meaningfully towards the wall clock ticking happily above Tsunade's head. It was 11:30, and neither the Hokage nor Sakura looked amused.

"Kakashi, I expect this kind of tardiness from you, but why must you rub it off on Sasuke and Naruto?" demanded Tsunade, her voice fraught with frustration.

None of the three responded, although Sasuke seemed to smirk a little. Tsunade shook her head and rolled her eyes before she motioned to Sakura to shut the blinds. With this signal, the mood in the room became markedly more serious. Naruto stood up a little straighter, and the smile on his face dropped into a neutral expression. Sakura moved quickly from the newly masked windows and took her usual spot between Naruto and Kakashi. Sasuke simply shifted his weight onto one foot and maintained his eye contact with Tsunade. The only person who seemed to have no reaction to the substantially darkened aura was Kakashi. He maintained his lazy slouch with his hands held absently in his pockets.

"As you know," Tsunade began, "I've called you here at this particular hour because this mission is not necessarily . . . _sanctioned_ by international treaties."

Sakura's eyebrow rose an almost undetectable amount, and Naruto's facial expression began to show traces of confusion as it usually did once a debriefing began.

"As some of the finest Konoha shinobi, I trust that you will realize this mission is much about the ends justifying the means. While your actions over the next few months may be of questionable legality, what we are hoping that what you will achieve may ultimately bring success to all parties involved."

Sasuke tensed a little, and he unconsciously shifted his weight onto the other foot. He had been briefed by Tsunade enough times to know that whenever her word choice reached this degree of formality, some serious ethical dilemmas were about to present themselves. Last time she had been this formal with him, she was offering him clemency when his status as an S-class criminal should have merited him an immediate death sentence.

"I suppose you've been hearing the news about the war between the Nagi and O'uzu islands?"

Four heads nodded.

"I don't really know how to tell you this, but the council of elders and I have been . . . censoring the information somewhat." Tsunade paused to take in the responses.

None of the four ninjas reacted explosively, but each gave off body language that undoubtedly indicated the news came as a shock. Sakura swallowed a lump that had been rising in her throat; Sasuke knit his brow together; Naruto's mouth widened just a fraction, and Kakashi let out a low whistle through his mask.

"We have made the war out to be a series of skirmishes that have occurred in the strait between the islands, but it is truly an all-out war. The council and I feared that Konoha citizens would demand we back the Nagi isles since they have long been faithful buyers of our exports. I'm sure that you four understand that we don't have the resources to do such a thing."

Four heads nodded again.

"What we need to do now then," Tsunade paused again. "Is to bleed off the trafficking of kodomo-nin."

Sakura's right eye twitched against her will. The last time she had heard that term, she was twelve, sitting behind Sasuke at the ninja academy, and zoning in and out between staring at the back of Sasuke's perfectly formed head and listening to Iruka's passionate lecture on the cruelty of ninjas who used war as an opportunity to cultivate kodomo-nin. She could still hear the sadness in the man's voice as he lectured to the sleepy class.

_Kodomo-nin are essentially children who exhibit incredible shinobi powers at a very young _age. _They are often the offspring of persecuted bloodlines whose parents have married into non-shinobi families without bloodline limits. In peacetime they are protected and their powers latent but in war they often lose their protectors and are thrown into the deepest states of poverty. This subjects Kodomo-nin to exploitation by missing-nin and other morally wayward Shinobi. They are trained as tools for use, and almost always end up fighting for an illegal cause simply because they have no country to protect and teach them._

Sakura recalled feeling absolutely repulsed by the idea of someone exploiting a child for his bloodline limit, and she had gone home that day to complete her 2-page assignment on Kodomo-nin in 12 pages. The woman who ran the shinobi library had even exhibited a note of concern when she watched the 12-year-old check on four books on the repugnant topic.

Tsunade coughed to punctuate the silence.

"This is where your job becomes a little more . . . blurred," said the woman as she pressed her weight into her palms and leaned forward on her desk.

"Team Kakashi will divide up into two-man cells. Naruto and Sasuke will go to Nagi and identify at most three orphaned children with the greatest potential, and Sakura and Kakashi will go to O'uzu to do the same."

"Where are we supposed to bring--" Sasuke attempted to start.

"You will take these children to the Fire country's port town of Haibisukasu. I will arrange for an ANBU group to set up appropriate resources before you arrive there."

Kakashi hummed a low hmm and opened his mouth to speak.

"What exactly will we be doing with these children in Haibisukasu?"

"You will train them in the same way that jounin teachers train genin."

Naruto blanched. Sasuke's face went a shade paler than his normal color which ultimately made him look like some sort of demon. Sakura frowned, and Kakashi simply closed both eyes and shook his head.

"Konoha needs warriors. We need bloodlines. Our own clans have been thinning, and some have even, as you all know, been wiped out." Tsunade fixed her amber eyes on Sasuke, and the black pupils momentarily flickered red.

"This is ultimately how we can gain an advantage while simultaneously keeping these children out of the wrong hands."

"But shishou, aren't we doing to them the same thing that those who exploit them would do?" The question escaped Sakura's mouth before she could ponder its merits.

"They will become full Konoha citizens, and they will receive every right that each of you have." Tsunade answered coldly. "Now go back to your homes and pack at least three weeks worth. I will arrange for the backup team to bring more of your things to Haibisukasu later. You leave at sundown tomorrow, now go!"

- - - -

The following day Sakura woke with a start to the sound of her alarm blazing. She groaned and wedged her head under her pillow, but the alarm continued to honk happily through the layers of cloth and goose feathers. Sakura proceeded to wrap her arm around the poor pillow to tighten the bubble of silence, but when this failed to block out the violent alarm, she moved to wave her free arm about until it finally landed on the clock . . . and promptly smashed it. When the air was suddenly quiet, Sakura peeked out from under her pillow only to find her alarm clock in twenty different pieces.

_My chakra control sucks in the morning_, she thought bitterly to herself, and slowly she began to disentangle herself from the silky sheets she would soon be missing. A quick shower and a cup of tea perked her up. She then outfitted herself in proper attire and ran a brush through her hair. Slipping her sandals on her feet and her traveling pack on her pack, Sakura headed for the door. She readied herself for the short walk to the Yamanako flower shop, but a moment of hesitation came over her. Sakura took a moment to pause in the doorway. She turned slowly to take in her little apartment. Her usual ninja outfit lay still on the armchair in the living area, and all manners of clothing, dishes and personal effects were properly sorted. Her curtains were drawn the way they always were when she went on long missions, and the muted sunlight struggling to get through bathed the room in a soft glow. For the first time since she'd moved into her own flat, Sakura felt a touch of melancholy leaving it. She was going to miss her home, however small and boring it could be.

Ino watched Sakura shuffle into the flower shop. The pink-haired girl took slow, deliberate steps and as soon as the flower girl spotted the heavy backpack that Sakura shouldered, she knew her lifetime best friend-slash-love rival was going on a mission. Judging by the mellow look on Sakura's face, it wasn't one she was going to tell her best friend about either.

Since the two became chuunin, it had become unwritten tradition that before a mission each would bid goodbye to the other over a cup of tea and a plate of mochi. The staying party always footed the bill, since the act would be deemed good karma were the dispatched girl to be killed in the field, never to return again.

"Let me get my wallet," chirped Ino. She moved to untie her apron as she gracefully hopped over counter. In Ino's mind, just because Sakura was damper about this mission didn't mean the blond also had to give in to the depression.

"I can tell it's a covert operation," Ino began when the two girls sat down at their favorite booth. A friendly waitress quickly set a plate of plump, multi-colored mochi and a steaming pot of green tea in between the two friends.

"You're wearing civilian clothing, and your headband is missing. This is a Konoha-sponsored operation," Ino continued as she poured the tea, first for Sakura then for herself.

Sakura said nothing while Ino droned on, and she munched quietly on one of the green deserts. Her bites were slow and measured.

Ino sighed and leaned forward to brush a stray bang out of Sakura's face.

"I understand that you can't tell me, and judging by your completely jovial personality this fine morning you're not exactly ecstatic about the mission yourself."

Sakura surrendered a small smile to Ino's cheeriness, and the blond girl sat back triumphantly, a wide Naruto-type grin on her face.

"But really, what I wouldn't give for a Konoha, top-secret mission, you are one lucky little bit--" And Sakura promptly stuck three, fat mochi into Ino's mouth.

The rest of the afternoon went by without much incident. Sakura visited the top of the Hokage mountain, and she sat for some time on the Sandaime's head sharpening her kunai. Later, she found herself at the Shinobi memorial, and she burned three sticks of incense while she prayed to the large, obsidian rock for protection. Sakura couldn't help but notice that a light fingerprint mark rested on the name of Uchiha Obito. When the sun began to taper off into the west, and the sky chameleoned from blue to pink, Sakura set out for the main gates.

The boys were already there, and a few moments after Sakura's arrival Kakashi himself materialized. The gate guards bowed respectfully to the group. The guards stamped four well-used passports and sent them off with careful smiles. Sakura noted that all members of her team had had the foresight to trade in their uniforms for civilian wear, which Tsunade had hinted would be very important in dispersing suspicion.

Both Naruto and Sasuke wore simple black shorts without shuriken holsters and plain shirts free of clan designs. Kakashi retained his uniform pants but the flax vest was missing. In its place was a form-fitting turtleneck which, to the three younger ninjas' dismay, was rolled up to cover the lower half of his face.

"Kakashi-sensei, you know you look like a socially stunted schoolboy with that get-up?" Sakura poked cheerily at Kakashi.

"Well you know don't look too bad yourself, Sakura-chan" Kakashi teased back.

Sakura turned away to hide her laugh. She had chosen a simple, fitted gray dress that blew gracefully around her knees. She tugged carefully at the sides in an attempt to lower the dress a few inches, but it simply would not give. Sakura huffed a little and spoke in a soft voice,

"I wanted to look as soft-natured as possible, so we don't terrify the children when we uproot them from their homes."

"We'll be doing them a favor," Kakashi replied in a low, soothing voice. "And how could they not want to come when they see us?"

A smile graced Sakura's lips.

"Mainly because of me, that is." Kakashi added in a cheerful voice. Sakura suddenly wanted to kill him on the spot, but instead she settled for asking him a question that had been on her mind all afternoon.

"Have you ever done something of this nature?"

"A couple times," he responded. "One of them you actually know about, I believe."

Sakura gave him a confused look and thought about her response. "You've never told me about anything like that . . ."

"You remember the princess--well now queen--of Yuki-no-kuni, the actress client we protected? I took her out of her country when it fell into a state of war. I was fourteen then, and at the time Yondaime believed we could protect her until she was old enough to reclaim her thrown. His logic was that if she had stayed in the country, her uncle would have undoubtedly killed her, and he would have become the rightful leader of the country. No one asked us to do it, and you can imagine what an international crime kidnapping a royal heir is."

A few paces away Sasuke had set his compass to southeast, and he motioned to Kakashi and Sakura that they were beginning to set out. The two of them nodded, and soon all four had disappeared into the trees.

- - - -


	2. Two If By Sea

Ch. 2: Two if by Sea

A map of the ninja world is available by going to www **dot** leafninja **dot** com **backslash** country **dot** php (this site doesn't let me put links in my documents for some unknown reason)

- X - X -

Shiosato was a sleepy hamlet by the ocean in the Fire country's southeastern most corridor. Sakura had never seen anything like it. The villagers made their livings by refining salt from the sea, and many of them rose as early as four in the morning to ensure that the salt was dried and packaged in proper containers for the afternoon pickup. An old lady at a noodle bar had proudly explained to the group that while Shiosato exported a small amount of salt relative to larger villages down the coast, the salt from the little community was the highest quality in all the land.

They had arrived in the town to meet an old acquaintance of Tsunade's. The man was apparently one of the wretched few who had ever lost a bet to the Godaime. Tsunade had never let the man—Ryu-kun as he was to be called—forget that he owed her. In the mission agenda, Tsunade had indicated that Ryu-kun would be bringing two boats around the peninsula from Nami no Kuni to meet Team Kakashi at the obscure salt town.

Aided by good weather and high spirits, the group formerly known as team seven touched down at their rendez-vous point three days early.

The first day of waiting they spent loitering about the beach breathing in the salty air and refining their plans of action.

Naruto and Sasuke passed much of the morning orienting themselves with the geography of Nagi Island. This involved some loud shouting between the boys, some roughly drawn diagrams in the sand, and some more loud shouting. Eventually the two agreed to start at the northwestern tip of the island and work their way diagonally through the country. They would then take a boat to the Hirate—the isle of palms—off the southern coast of Nagi where they would wait for Kakashi and Sakura.

The island of O'uzu was considerably longer than Nagi, albeit less wide. Due to the nature of its geography, Kakashi and Sakura decided on beginning their search at the southern tip and moving north to meet the rest of their team at Hirate.

The morning passed quickly, and when the afternoon finally rolled around, Sasuke and Naruto headed into the village to procure food. Sakura took the time to take a brief respite on the sand. She laced her fingers together, cradled her head in the space in between her hands and reclined lazily on the dune. Kakashi watched as the girl's jade eyes followed a wandering flock of seagulls away into the horizon. Her eyes were glazed, and her expression was unreadable. She made no movement to remove a strand of hair that the sea breeze had blown into her eyes.

"Are you still thinking about whether or not this is right?"

Sakura shook her head, making a small indent in the sand. She carefully turned onto her side so that she was facing Kakashi. Her elbow ground into the sand, and she propped her head up with her palm.

"I'm not worried about that anymore. I'm just concerned that this is going to be harder than Tsunade-shishou expected. This isn't some recovery mission where we stick a shiny jewel into our packs and get the hell out. We're talking about scared kids with incredible abilities."

Kakashi said nothing. For a few moments the two ninja simply looked at each other and felt the wind blow between them. Finally, Kakashi moved away and lay motionless looking up at the sky.

"You'll think of something."

Every time she expected him to say something earth-shattering, he said the vaguest, most useless things.

- - - -

The second day they spent sparring further down on the beach, two against two, one against three, one on one. By lunchtime Sakura found herself busy healing the burn marks on Naruto's face where Sasuke's Katon no Jutsu had grazed him. Naruto sat fuming in the sand. He winced at Sakura's treatment but somehow still found the concentration to send heated glare at Sasuke's smug face. Kakashi spent the time setting his bunshins to work overturning the small canyon of burnt sand that Sasuke's fireball had created for two hundred meters down the beach front.

Sakura sat back and admired Naruto's perfectly mended skin. Pleased with the results of her work, she wiped her hands in affirmation and nodded. When Naruto realized that she had finished, the blond boy sat up quickly, ran a hand across the side of his no longer charred face, and he muttered a hurried thanks before running off towards the water prepared to tackle an unguarded Sasuke. The Uchiha stood within the water's reach, and he seemed to relax against the feeling of incoming and outgoing waves lapping at his ankles and sucking the wet sand out from under his feet.

Sakura felt a hand gently press against her shoulder.

"You sparred for three hours this morning, and you healed Naruto, how are you feeling?"

The girl turned to look up at the owner of the hand, and she cocked a self-assured smile at him.

"I've never felt better, actually," she answered truthfully, and Kakashi rewarded her with what she assumed was a kind smile from under his shirt-slash-mask.

"Your stamina is getting much better. It was all that training you did for the jounin exam?"

Sakura nodded.

"I asked if you were available for training but Tsunade-sama told me that you were gone. She assigned Ebisu-san to me. Konohamaru and the rest of their genin group had just passed the chuunin exam, so Ebisu-san was free. The first thing he noticed when we sparred was how easily I tired. I managed to get close to him with my kunai a couple times, but I lost my concentration the longer we went. I had relied mainly on soldier pills since I became a medic, so I didn't have a lot of stamina of my own. Ebisu-san then enlisted Gai-sensei in helping me train . . ."

Sakura paused and passed Kakashi an awkward look. A twitch settled at the corner of her mouth.

". . .And now I look forward to the eternal springtime of youth!!"

Kakashi's eyes widened as he watched the girl energetically pump her fist towards the horizon. A dewy sheen floated over her eyes, and she moved as if preparing to sprint off into the distance.

"I challenge you to a contest! One hundred laps up and down the beach, if I lose I'll do it again, only on my hands!"

Kakashi's eyes were as the size of saucers.

"Just kidding, sensei," Sakura laughed as she relaxed her body and smiled. "You should have seen your face."

"When did you become this funny, Sakura-chan?" Kakashi chirped as he recovered from his shock enough to run his hand over the top of her head and ruffle her hair.

"I learned from the best," she answered lightly. "But let's go rescue Sasuke before Naruto finishes drowning him."

- - - -

The third morning dawned gray and stormy. Sakura rolled off her tatami mat onto the cold ground, and she groaned as she spotted the angry storm clouds congregating outside the motel room's small window.

These things tended to happen to team seven, she decided. It was like that time they spent two weeks living off the bounty of the land just so they could apportion the mission's budget among themselves only to discover that, on the very last day of the mission, they'd all contracted one of the tea country's most virulent stomach flus. The only healer they could find for miles and miles simply sat and watched them empty their stomachs into the bushes until they agreed to cough up his asking price—which happened to be exactly the amount of money they'd been given for the trip. What would have happened had they not kept the money with the greedy intention of pocketing it? Sakura imagined that her tombstone would have read _Here Lies Haruno Sakura, died from vomiting up all her vital organs onto the side of some crappy Tea country road._

Sakura grabbed her toothbrush out of her pack and dealt two swift kicks to Sasuke and Naruto. She then promptly dashed across the floor to the small bathroom. Sure, she had enough confidence to kick the two awake, but there was no way in hell she was brave enough to stay and deal with their morning moods. She was pretty sure Sasuke would Mangekyou sharingan to death anyone who dared disturb his precious sleep, and she had even heard a rumor that Naruto had once gone all-out Kyuubi when a messenger had awoken him at 5 a.m. for an emergency meeting.

So it was the day of Ryu-kun's arrival, and Sakura had an inkling suspicion that they were all going to die at the hands—or should she say at the mouth—of a ravenous, 60-foot wave. Judging from the sogginess in the air and the small rivers running happily through the cracks in the road, it had already been raining on and off for hours by the time the four set foot outside the motel. Sasuke looked up at the merciless clouds and opened his mouth to speak just as a bolt of lightning lit up the sky.

"Is Ryu-kun really going to be here?"

"We'll find out when we get to the docks," Kakashi answered warily. He attempted to say more but a violent clap of thunder followed by the pent-up downpour quite literally drowned out his words.

Much to Sakura's disappointment, Ryu-kun, and the two boats he had chartered, were bobbing up and down in the rain when they arrived. The water, which had seemed so blue the two days previous, was now an ugly shade of gray-black, and it lapped against the sides of the boats in a manner too rough for Sakura's liking.

Ryu-kun himself was a plain and friendly-looking man, but he had the air of someone who would draw the only pair of twos in a deck of cards otherwise filled with aces. It was plainly evident to all four ninjas why this man had lost to Tsunade in a game of dice. As selfish as it seemed, Sakura found herself desperately wishing that the man would be on the boat going to Nagi with Sasuke and Naruto.

Ryu-kun waved enthusiastically at the waterlogged bunch as they drew closer. He had dressed himself in the fashion of a doomed, old fisherman going out to sea in a hurricane. A long, yellow raincoat hung from his thin body, and a matching plastic hat kept his head dry. His glasses, however, were completely wet, and Sakura had to wonder how he'd managed to spot them coming.

"Bit of a rough day for travel, isn't it!" He yelled over the roar of the waves. Naruto vigorously shook his head back and forth in an attempt to shake off the water dripping from his bangs into his eyes. Ryu-kun took this as the boy's negative response.

"Not to worry, young man," he shouted. "I've sailed in weather much more treacherous than this! I'm lucky with the sea, you know, I'm just not so great with cards. I'm sure some of you can relate."

Sakura, who currently stood between Kakashi and Sasuke, looked back and forth between the two men.

Sasuke had once survived a game of strip poker without disrobing so much as a sock. That was the same game of strip poker that had come down to Sakura's dignity hanging by an Ace.

Still, Sasuke's feat was nothing compared to the rumors she'd heard about Kakashi. The copy-ninja had supposedly once won himself the hand of a daimyo's beautiful daughter in a heated game of poker with the girl's father. What Sakura remembered of the legend was that Kakashi had been playing with a 54-card deck, one that still retained its jokers. When the daimyo bet all in—his crown jewels (one of which Kakashi had been sent on the mission to recover), his daughter, and his land—Kakashi had equaled the bet by waging his eternal servitude and fifty thousand hectares of land that he'd told the Daimyo he owned. According to the lore, the man then proceeded to lay down a royal flush and was ready to have Kakashi in chains. The copy-ninja, however, put down four threes and a joker. Five of a kind. Sakura never found out what Kakashi did with the daimyo's land or his daughter, but she knew the crown jewels had played an integral part in rebuilding Konoha after the war of sound and sand.

_No_, Sakura thought, _These two certainly couldn't relate_.

"Nagi is this boat with me," Ryu's voice punctuated Sakura's thoughts. "O'uzu will take about two days longer over calmer seas. My brother, Hiro, will be your captain."

Sakura looked to the boat docked on the right where a tall, dark-haired man had appeared on deck. He wore an ensemble much like Ryu's, except his rain gear was bright green. Hiro looked markedly younger than his brother, but he didn't have the appearance of someone who would lose a bet so badly that he had to make up for it by ferrying four ninjas through a perfect storm to two islands ravaged by war. This allayed Sakura's fears somewhat, and she waved at Hiro.

"We should get going. There should be a break in the storm soon which will allow us to get passed the waves surrounding this port."

"That's right, Kakashi-san! I didn't know you were a man of the sea?" Ryu responded, delighted with Kakashi's observation.

"I'm not," Kakashi answered quickly, and he moved to press his body against Sakura's arm to urge her towards the boat.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto called out as he ran towards the girl. She turned around just as Naruto jumped on her. He held her in a strong bear hug, and she lightly pressed her arms against his back in reciprocation.

"You be safe. If Kakashi does anything stupid, I expect you to beat him up with that crazy strength of yours."

Sakura laughed into the boy's shoulder, and her heart warmed at his concern.

"I'll be fine Naruto. I can take care of myself now."

Naruto let go of her, and Sakura stepped back. Sasuke had arrived at Naruto's side, and Sakura took the opportunity to give the Uchiha a quick hug. Sasuke patted her on the back, and he broke off the contact immediately after. Kakashi stepped forward to shake hands with his former subordinates, and he used the occasion to speak very seriously with his two boys.

"Remember, these are children you are dealing with, and they have probably felt enough pain in the last few months to rival both of you." Sasuke frowned at Kakashi's terse warning, and Naruto shook his head in understanding.

"Take care, both of you, make team seven proud."

They cast off after that, and the seas outside the pull of land were calmer—albeit still gray and forbidding. The two boats charted nearly parallel courses for the first thirty minutes, and standing on the deck, Sakura could see Naruto and Sasuke watching her from across the distance. Naruto waved enthusiastically every now and then whereas Sasuke simply leaned his elbows against the boat railing and looked into the sea. Soon, however, Hiro began to turn the boat south, and the other ship disappeared behind the deep gray curvature of the earth.

When night fell, the calm began to give. The little boat commenced titillating so violently that the two passengers ate dinner in the cargo hold clinging to the wooden beams that supported their tiny vessel. Every second or third bite of rice cake seemed to enter Sakura's mouth just as the boat gave another violent lurch, and the morsel of food usually seized the chance to barrel down the wrong tube. At least three times Kakashi had to give up eating in order to rub the back of the sputtering girl whose face was attempting to turn a fine shade of eggplant. Why Sakura's food couldn't distinguish between her trachea and her esophagus, Kakashi had no idea. His meal was quite delicious and, it seemed to have no difficulties finding its way into his stomach.

Sakura finally gave up her failed attempt at dinner. She wrapped the rice cake in its paper casing and stuffed it back in her pack after resisting the desire to chuck it at the wall. She bade a quick goodnight to Kakashi, and after stilling her hammock from flying about, climbed into the makeshift bed with relative ease. By the time she'd settled herself into a comfortable position, the boat's swaying had begun to level off. The gentle rocking of the hammock eased her into a light sleep that prevailed despite the repeated grumbling pleas of her stomach.

When Sakura awoke, the cabin was dark. Someone had turned off the gas lantern.

Sakura fumbled through the small pouch at her side, and her hands felt around for the distinctively smooth packet of matches. When she found them, she hurriedly plucked one out and struck it against the wooden beam near her rocking hammock. The tiny flame burning at the tip of her fingers lit only a foot or two of space around her hands, and Sakura carefully stepped out of her bed to search for the lantern. She found it in the middle of the room where she had last seen it, and she dropped the match into the small pool of oil. The lantern instantly bathed the space in a weak glow.

The room was empty. Kakashi's hammock swung rhythmically in the ship's sway, and his blanket sat neatly folded inside.

Sakura stepped into her sandals and scurried up the ladder above deck. The cold ocean air washed over her, and a wave of calm rippled through her body. The clouds had dispersed in many parts of the sky, and Sakura breathed in a deep lungful of fresh air as she took in the vista. The sky stretched on in all four directions, and millions of bright stars framed the fingernail moon. The ocean undulated like a velvet blanket beneath the boat that now glided freely through the water, and the entire expanse of the sky reflected brilliantly in the dark waves. The kunoichi leaned over the side of the railing to watch the deep expanse of dark gurgle beneath the vessel. Two distinctly male voices reached her ears, and she turned in the direction of the captain's station.

"You guys must have one hell of a mission, going to O'uzu in the chaos that it is."

"Mm . . ."

"You know, I would never have dreamed of going to that island right now if my brother hadn't asked for this favor."

"We're certainly glad you decided to help out."

"Yah? Well I'm turning back as soon as I drop you two off. I used to run a ferry between the Fire country and O'uzu. Those were canceled as soon as the war started, but I ran the last ferry that left the island. It was madness. Someone bribed me with 80,000 ryu just to take his ten month year old daughter."

Silence followed Hiro's last comment, and Sakura moved closer to the two men standing silently at the ship's wheel. A cigarette dangled lazily in Hiro's mouth, and his hands remained still on the steering. He slouched slightly, and Sakura assumed that the night chill was getting to him. Kakashi stood next to Hiro with his hands held behind his back and a dreamy look on his face. He kept his eye on the dark horizon, and a small puff of vapor rose around him when he breathed out.

"When did you leave O'uzu for the last time?" Kakashi suddenly asked, startling Hiro.

"Uhh . . .It's been about two months." The man took a long drag of his cigarette. "I've been reading the papers back home. Mild skirmishes my ass. I never said anything because no one would believe a poor boat captain over the higher-ups, but now they're sending ninja out there."

"That's very kind of you to keep quiet," Sakura interjected, and two pairs of eyes turned to fix on her. "It's for the safety of Konoha that they know as little about the Nagi-O'uzu war as possible; your silence will save the villagers many sleepless nights."

Hiro shrugged and went back to watching the water. Kakashi left his station next to the boat captain and walked towards Sakura.

"Did you get any sleep, sensei?"

Kakashi shook his head for the negative.

"You should."

- - - -

The next few days passed by without incident. Kakashi and Sakura spent much of their time at sea going over the mission again and again, and when neither could stand to talk about the operation any longer, they played shougi on deck. Sakura had purchased the small board game-- A favorite of Shikamaru and his late sensei--while they waited in Shiosato. She'd hoped that it would provide an effective way of passing the time on the trip. What Sakura discovered was that she and Kakashi were extremely well matched at the game, but she retained her suspicions that the man may have been humoring her. She'd been so close to sealing her win countless times when Kakashi would suddenly move a lagging piece into an unbeatable position.

Sakura rolled onto her back and looked up at the blue sky while she waited for Kakashi to make his move. When she finally heard the satisfying "clack" of the small game piece settling into a new position, she rolled back onto her stomach and observed the board. There were currently three ways for her to grasp victory, all three of which she suspected Kakashi could counter.

"Ne, sensei, do you remember the first time you met us?"

"What made you think of that?" Kakashi asked in a surprised tone as he looked up at Sakura.

Sakura tilted her head upwards towards the sky where a few seagulls were floating. At the same time Hiro spotted the birds, and he turned from his post to yell out at the two ninja.

"Gulls! We're getting close. It should only be another few hours."

"The sky," Sakura answered. "The three of us were sitting under the sky bridge when we first met. You asked us to tell you our likes and dislikes, our dreams and our hobbies. When Naruto asked you to first tell us those things in regards to yourself, you basically only divulged your name."

Sakura chose her shougi piece and smoothly glided it into an attacking position.

"I remember," Kakashi answered while his visible eye scanned the board. "I didn't really feel like talking about myself. I was pretty sure I you three would fail anyways." Kakashi picked up the only shougi piece that Sakura hadn't analyzed three times over and placed it in front of her attacking knight. "Do you remember what you told the group were your likes and dislikes?"

"Don't embarrass me, sensei, I know exactly what I said, or more precisely, didn't say. I was too busy making eyes at Sasuke, wasn't I?"

Kakashi nodded and smiled. He watched as Sakura moved to pick up her knight on the other side of the board, and his eyes followed her hand's trajectory. As the girl was about to place the piece in the empty square next to Kakashi's rook, he gently grabbed her hand. The swift action caught Sakura off guard, and the sudden contact sent a shudder down her spine. Slowly, without breaking eye-contact, Kakashi guided Sakura's hand to the the empty space on the other side of the rook. And then Sakura saw it.

"Checkmate," she whispered.

"Yeah. Congratulations." He said back through a small smile.

"Oi! The wind out of the west was a little better than I expected you two! We should be there within an hour. I'm going to drop you off about half a mile out from shore, and I'll give you guys my rowboat."

"Thanks, Hiro." Sakura called out to the man smiling at them from the front of the ship. She looked back at Kakashi, who was now walking towards the cargo hold to collect their things.

"You shouldn't have cheated, you know," she called out to his retreating figure. He stopped, and slowly turned around to look at her. "But you really should have won at least one game before we landed, don't you think?"

Sakura shot him an icy glare, and moved to clean up the board.

As Hiro had predicted, they arrived half a mile offshore of the southernmost point within the hour. They bade the boat's captain a hearty goodbye as he carefully lowered them into the waiting waters. The waves around O'uzu were calm and blue, and they suggested very little about what was going on in the country. Hiro handed Kakashi a pair of old oars, and the man scurried back to his steering wheel where he promptly span it around three hundred sixty degrees. Kakashi began to row. Sakura's back faced him as she sat on the front end of the boat watching the land come clearer and clearer into view.

"Sensei, what exactly is the nature of this war? We were taught in school that neither of these islands had hidden villages."

"Ah. Well, neither of the islands possesses a shinobi army, but over the years both have acquired militaries made up of foot soldiers. They do not use chakra the way we do, but we should be very wary of underestimating them. These soldiers are probably as skilled with kunai and other advanced weaponry as you and I are. We should also be extremely careful because it is highly likely that missing-nin have been hired on both sides" Kakashi paused in his explanation, and a few moments passed with only the rhythmic sound of the oars diving under and coming up. "As for how the war started, the details are unclear, but I believe one side was involved in the assassination of the other side's daimyo."

"Stop rowing, Kakashi-sensei, we're almost there. We can float in on the tide."

Kakashi obeyed Sakura's command, and sure enough the little rowboat beached itself comfortably on the warm sands. Both ninjas hopped out of the boat, and they dragged the little vessel into the dense foliage surrounding the beach. Sakura wiped her hands to get rid of the wet sand caked on her palms, and Kakashi took in the surroundings.

"I believe there is a seaside town over that cliff. It should be the port town of Takeyo. Since this is the farthest point from the country's capital, it is unlikely that the Nagi raids have made it down here. We should still be careful though, since the villagers are very likely going to be suspicious of strangers entering their town. Still, refugees are constantly pushing south, so it shouldn't be too difficult for us to take that guise"

"Do we need a better back story to be in that category?"

"Not really. Refugees find traveling companions along the way all the time."

_A traveling companion, _Sakura thought to herself. _This was going to be one interesting mission._

_- - - -_

In Takeyo they spent two days catching up on the war. They learned that the Nagi platoons had already conducted raids by sea on almost half the eastern coastal towns. The capital of Shiroyama remained in lock down by thousands of O'uzu foot soldiers, and the rest of the country's forces were busy wreaking havoc on the eastern half of the Nagi island. Rumors had reached Takeyo that mercenary ninja were creeping through many of the larger villages at night assassinating officials of high ranking in the war. It wasn't until the fifth night on the island, when Kakashi and Sakura had stopped at a motel in the mid-sized village of Yokeji, that they heard the rumor of orphans disappearing.

They were sitting in the small lobby talking with a slightly inebriated old man who sat hunched over in his armchair.

"I'm telling you, it's always those orphans who came from funny families, the ones who are _different_. Nobody ever takes the brats who can't run fast or can't make something incredible happen with their hands or . . . eyes."

Neither Kakashi nor Sakura said anything; they simply let the old man talk.

"By the way, you two said you're heading north to Todashi? That's strange, going north when everyone is going south." The two ninjas exchanged quick glances. "Well anyways, be careful in Todashi. I hear there's a strange little girl who steals people's food"

"If so many people have accused her, why don't they do something about her?" Sakura asked. She found the old man's warning rather odd.

"Well the problem is, nobody's _seen_ her steal yet. A lot of people just walk by her sitting on the side of the road and the next thing they know their groceries are gone. But apparently no one's ever seen her running away with their things."

"Well sir, I think my companion and I are going to bed." Kakashi interrupted as he stood up and motioned to Sakura. The old man cracked a devious grin and nodded vigorously. "I understand, young blood, it's always so passionate. Try not to be too loud you two, it's a small inn."

Sakura blushed a deep shade of crimson when she registered the old man's not-so-subtle insinuation. She opened her mouth to heartily protest, but Kakashi hurried her upstairs before any intelligent words could escape her.

"We're going to have to see about this girl first thing tomorrow," Kakashi said as he turned towards the wall and began to undress. "Turn off the light will you? I'm taking off my shirt." Sakura snickered as she flipped the switch, and she too lifted her dress off over her head as she walked towards the bed. The weather in Yokeji was stifling with the humidity, and every night since their arrival they'd slept with the windows open and with only their undergarments on.

"I don't see why we can't just get two rooms. I find it highly questionable having to share a bed with my sensei, and still you won't let me see your face!" complained Sakura.

Sakura felt the mattress droop a little on Kakashi's side, and she heard the distinct sound of his sandals falling to the floor. Kakashi crawled under the covers, and just when Sakura was sure he wasn't going to answer her question, she felt his bare chest press against her back and his mouth come to rest a few inches above her ear. For the second time his touch sent an involuntary shudder through her body, and her heart quickened a few paces when he began to whisper into her ear.

"You know it would look odd if we got two rooms. We're supposed to be traveling companions, and it would make much more sense if we shared a room out of concern for money. Besides, the old man wasn't too far off. It's a lot easier letting others believe we're lovers brought together by the whims of war than letting them ponder as to what we really are."

_We aren't lovers brought together by the whims of war? _Sakura found herself wondering, but she shook the thought out of her head as soon as she realized exactly what she was thinking.

Sakura nodded, and the soft up and down motions of her hair on Kakashi's throat were enough to tell him that she understood. He stayed pressed against her for a few moments longer before he pushed himself away back to his side of the bed. Despite the blistering heat, Sakura felt cold for the rest of the night.

Sometime near midnight, a funny thought crossed her mind.

_If we're getting by letting others believe we're lovers, what exactly are Naruto and Sasuke playing? No one's going to believe they're brothers . . . _


	3. The Wanderer's Thrown

Chapter Three: The Wanderer's Thrown

* * *

Todashi was twelve kilometers north of Yakeji, and Kakashi had suggested the night before that they leave around seven a.m., so Sakura rose at six to have a bath. When she stepped out of bed, she cast a quick glance in Kakashi's direction and found that her gaze lingered longer on his sleeping form than she had intended for it to.

The covers lay bunched around the lower half of his body, leaving his pale chest completely exposed. He had his right arm draped conveniently over the bottom of his face, but even so more of his visage was visible to Sakura now than it had ever been before.

His shinobi dog tags hung loosely from around his neck, and the silver metal plates enjoyed the frequent rise and fall of Kakashi's chest as his shallow breath beat like a dull metronome. Sakura watched for a moment longer before stealing away to the bathroom. A distinctly weightless feeling plagued her stomach, but she willed herself into believing that she was only hungry.

When Sakura began to draw her bath, she delighted in discovering that the water was warm. Many of the coal furnaces had been rationed during the war. This decree was made to ensure that the precious black rocks be available for burning when and where the army needed them. With nothing left to heat the baths, Sakura had found herself washing in frigid waters since they'd arrived.

She dropped her bar of soap into the running bath, and soon bubbles began to form on the water's skin. Inviting layers of steam rolled off the surface, and Sakura breathed in the warm vapors.

It had been too long since she'd last bathed in an acceptable setting.

She quickly peeled off her undergarments and stepped into the water. A low hiss of satisfaction escaped her lips as the hot water wrapped itself around her ankles. Slowly, she lowered herself into the tub until all but her head and shoulders were covered by the frothy blanket of bubbles. Grabbing some nearby shampoo, Sakura scooted under the water to wet her hair before she began lathering the floral-scented goo onto her scalp.

The minutes ticked by, and the girl did not stir from her warm euphoria.

"Glad to see someone's enjoying herself"

Sakura let out a high-pitched squeak and rapidly slid beneath the bubbles so that only her head—and her angry gaze--remained visible to Kakashi's eyes.

"Sensei! Have some decency!" Sakura shouted as she chucked her bar of soap at the man. He deftly caught the wet, slippery item in his right hand and smiled at the girl.

"Thank you. I needed some soap," he answered cheerily, and he turned towards the sink to start the faucet. Sakura watched him squeeze a small glob of toothpaste onto his toothbrush, and suddenly she realized something remarkably different about him.

"K-Kakashi sensei, your mask--"

It was more like the lack of the mask that made Sakura stutter. Kakashi stood before her casually brushing his teeth in nothing but his boxers. His naked chest and, more importantly, naked face were all exposed to her at once. It was too much.

Sakura held her breath and submerged herself. She was simultaneously attempting to wash the remaining suds out of her hair as well as hide the rosy blush that had begun to paint her face. When she finally resurfaced, Kakashi stood in front of her with a towel in his outstretched hand. Sakura's eyes quickly scanned his face, and the weightless feeling in her stomach returned when she realized that his face was still bare.

"It's 6:30, Sakura. You shouldn't be wasting so much time lazing in the tub."

His words sounded serious, but his tone was light, and a small smile played on those lips that Sakura had never seen before. She drank up the sight of his face. All of team seven's previous bets had been wrong. Kakashi sported neither thin lips nor a fish mouth, and he certainly did not have horse teeth. Sakura suddenly realized why the girl at the ramen stand had been so smitten after seeing Kakashi eat.

He was gorgeous.

Before Sakura could think about her words, the first thing that came to her mind popped out of her mouth.

"You should really get Sasuke to start wearing a mask, then his prettiness won't make all the girls hate each other over him."

Kakashi laughed, and for the first time Sakura heard his unmuffled laugh and watched the rest of his face respond with his expression of mirth. It suddenly struck her that Kakashi looked remarkably young for his age, and a tinge of jealousy came over her. It wasn't fair how beautiful this man was.

It was a morning of many firsts, and for the first time Sakura felt physically inadequate being next to her teacher.

"Really Sakura, you're going to get all pruny."

"I can't get out with you staring at me!"

"I'll leave," he answered happily, and he promptly dropped the towel on Sakura's head before walking through the door.

Sakura dried herself quickly and wrapped the towel securely around her body before leaving the bathroom to go collect her things. When she stepped into the main room, Kakashi was lying on the bed holding a familiar orange book over his head. He had changed out of his turtleneck and now wore a simple shirt much like those Naruto and Sasuke had sported before leaving.

The shirt had a wide collar, and it came up far enough to surround Kakashi's chin and lips. The plain sash covering his eye was once again around his head. Sakura let a "tsk" sound fall from her lips at the sight of Icha-Icha paradise, but she moved briskly, grabbed her belongings and retreated into the bathroom.

By the time they'd organized their things and settled their tab, it was pushing eight o'clock. Sakura began to wonder whether or not Kakashi's tardiness was really beginning to rub off on his students, and she hastily reminded herself that she wouldn't let them fall so behind schedule again.

The girl pushed their pace, and by eight thirty they were well on their way to the next village. They had decided the previous night to follow the civilian road, since flying through the trees could be dangerous with mercenary ninja on the prowl.

- - -

The main road to Todashi bustled with human traffic, almost all of which trickled southwards. Unlike Takeyo where the citizens had yet to experience the worst of the war, those moving from the north bore the somber mood of their ravaged land.

Families and larger parties traveled on rickety wagons drawn by gaunt mules or tired donkeys. The foul odor of unwashed masses and the hollow cries of hungry infants stained the air. Every hundred or so meters Sakura caught the site of an emaciated body lifeless by the side of the road.

But what hurt her most was not the landscape of human suffering that surrounded her, it was how little her beating heart pained at the wretched scene. She had truly grown to embody the cardinal ninja rules, and her emotions were more in check than ever.

They were a few kilometers outside of Todashi, and Sakura was absently watching a man and his dog beg for food at the side of the road when Kakashi grabbed her and pulled her close. Sakura let out a small yelp when Kakashi snaked his arm around her waist and moved in to wedge her head under his chin. The strong, familiar smell of his body flooded her senses, and she began to push away when his sharp whisper froze her.

"Look down, do not look up until I tell you to, do not say anything even if you're spoken to."

Sakura took a quick glance upwards with her eyes, and she saw what had prompted Kakashi's warning.

Up until now going north had only garnered them worried looks from the waves of people moving south, but up until now they hadn't been spotted by any foot soldiers, or worse, hired ninja.

A tall, heavyset man and a pretty, raven-haired woman advanced towards them with worrisome swiftness, and both wore expressions of deepest suspicion. Kakashi continued to guide Sakura forwards as if he hadn't taken note of the two ninjas approaching. Only when the man called out for them to stop did Kakashi bring them to a halt. Sakura noticed that the bustle of human chatter surrounding them immediately died down, and many of the travelers moved to distance themselves from the confrontation they were about to witness.

"State your purpose, traveler!" The woman demanded in a sharp, humorless voice.

"Going to Todashi, m'am," Kakashi replied in an even tone.

"What for?" The other man barked.

"My wife is ill, sir. I'm taking her to her sister's house."

"You can't take care of her yourself?" asked the woman as she scowled and looked at Sakura's small form wrapped in Kakashi's embrace.

"I would, m'am, but I'm going to Shiroyama to enlist."

The man looked Kakashi over once more, and he looked to Sakura.

"What is your condition?" he asked gruffly.

"She's deaf from a fever, sir." answered Kakashi.

The two hired ninjas exchanged quick glances before they turned to Kakashi and nodded.

"By the way soldier, what happened to your eye?"

"A ninja once cut it out when I got in his way as a child."

The woman snickered, and she bade an icy farewell to the two before she and the man moved out of their path. As the mercenaries walked away, Sakura heard the man say to his companion,

"But he looked so much like_ him_," to which the woman responded "Yes--but that essentially is what happened to_ his_ eye, you think if _he_ were masquerading as some lowly peasant he would actually tell the truth? That stupid man really did just get in the way of someone important."

Sakura turned her head. Her eyes were just level with the top of Kakashi's shoulder. She strained a little bit to peer over the block in her vision, and she caught site of something that greatly disturbed her. Tattooed at the nape of the woman's neck was a small Konoha symbol with a slash through it.

She suddenly felt two of Kakashi's fingers tap her chin lightly indicating that they were safe. Sakura made eye contact with Kakashi the instant she looked up, and in a low voice he whispered the answer to the question he already knew was on her mind.

"Konoha missing-nin don't always end up legends. You've only ever known of two Uchihas and a Sannin to go missing."

* * *

If Sakura had harbored any expectations for Todashi, she might have been wise to lower them by four notches.

It was evident to both ninjas that the town had once been a gem, but the war had deteriorated its main district beyond repair. A foul little watering hole for soldiers looking to escape the horrors of duty, the current Todashi boasted at least four bars and two brothels on every central street.

The new owners of those 'reputable' institutions had, in fact, been too lazy to redecorate any of the old storefronts, and crude posters of sake bottles and flirty women hung awkwardly over the previous signs of barbershops, candy stores and tea bars.

Beggars danced in front of the two ninja as they made their way into city center. Thin women dressed in loose kimonos wandered about the dusty plaza. Their emotionless faces were caked in layers of powder makeup, and the closer Sakura got to an open door, the stronger the scent of sex and sake flooded her senses. They walked to a large fountain in the middle of the city and sat down on its rim.

A platoon of soldiers marched by, but all the men were too busy making catcalls at the painted women to notice the two ninjas sitting by the fountain. Kakashi looked at the sky and lingered long enough for Sakura's gaze to follow. It was nearing sunset, and curfews would be enforced in a matter of hours. It was too late to look for the girl, Sakura realized. They would have to find an inn.

The northern sector of Todashi proved to be a much needed relief from the central area. Humble looking houses and well-maintained shops replaced properties of ill-repute. They found a cozy little inn across the street from a ramen bar making ready to close. Sakura charged Kakashi with the duty of procuring a room, and she herself promptly dashed across the street. They hadn't eaten since the night before.

At the ramen bar, Sakura was harassed by a fat, drunk man who believed her to be a high-class escort. Angered by the man, she returned to the room in somewhat of a foul mood.

Kakashi was sitting on the bed reading Icha Icha tactics when Sakura walked in carrying two steaming hot containers of ramen. She handed the one in her right hand to Kakashi, and he nodded thanks without looking up from his beloved book. Sakura scowled a little at his lack of vocal acknowledgment, and she walked across the room to the small table by the window. She snapped her chopsticks as loudly as she could, and before eating, she pulled her mission log out from her pack.

_Day 6: Kakashi-sempei has become increasingly detached. Rapport is low. We have so far failed to locate a suitable child, mostly due to Kakashi's . . ._

"If you're writing unsavory things about me, you can probably stop now."

Sakura shot the man a dirty glare, but she was pleased to see that he had stopped reading. The book lay closed on his lap, and his gaze rested solely on her.

"Please Kakashi-sensei, can you take a minute to discuss tomorrow? We still have no idea where this girl might be," Sakura pleaded, her expression turning desperate.

"Actually, while you were out getting food, I managed to collect some information. The manager told me that an odd girl who many have accused of stealing is frequently seen around the outdoor markets. Vendors have trickled away since the war due to the burning of farmland, but much of the produce sold here is grown in household gardens. I was told that the market is still quite busy as neighboring townsfolk come here to buy their rations."

Sakura suddenly realized that her jaw had dropped a little, and she must have been doing a funny impression of a pelican. This was the distance between her and Kakashi, she thought to herself. While she was thinking of nothing other than getting food into her stomach, he was gathering information.

"I'm sorry I doubted you, sensei," she muttered in a low whisper, and she promptly flipped to the eraser side of her pencil to rub out the nasty comments she had just written.

Frustration was boiling in Sakura's chest. She could feel it suffocating her. Something about this mission still didn't sit well with her.

When she'd finished wiping away the rubber peelings, Kakashi was sitting across the table from her.

He watched a few drops of water fall from Sakura's eyes onto the back of her hand. Slowly, the droplets ran their course, and they made little wet trails on her skin as they slid onto the table.

"Come on, let's go."

Sakura looked up. She quickly wiped her face with the back of her hand, and she gave Kakashi a look of confusion.

"Don't be ridiculous. It's after curfew, and where would we go anyways?"

"You're frustrated. You need to move around a little. Let's go train."

Sakura opened her mouth to point out the absurdity of Kakashi's suggestion, but she promptly swallowed her words when she noticed the serious look on the man's face. Kakashi's silver brows were furrowed slightly, and both his eyes were open. There was no smile on his lips, and everything about his expression said he meant it.

"Okay."

- - - -

They shot through the trees with unfettered speed, and Sakura felt the relief rush through her body as the cool night wind whipped against her face. She finally understood that it was the lack of freedom to move and do as she pleased that had been agitating her all along. Everything about their current mission entailed psychological, not physical strain.

Up ahead of her, Kakashi motioned for her to slow. A clearing came into view, and the pair landed silently on the grassy expanse. A fox scurried away into the bushes when it noticed the newcomers, but no other lifeforms presented themselves. Kakashi signaled for Sakura to take her position on the other side of the clearing, and she moved towards her end eagerly, the anticipation growing in her chest.

"I'm going to count to three now, Sakura." yelled Kakashi from the other side, and Sakura held out a thumbs-up in response.

"One."

Sakura snaked her hand into the pouch attached to her waist.

"Two."

Kakashi did the same, and his hand came to rest on cold metal.

"Three."

Their kunai daggers were locked against one another the second the last number fell from Kakashi's lips. The bottled-up energy that Sakura had been suppressing the entire time flooded through her, and she matched Kakashi's strength without breaking a sweat.

All the months of standing motionless over surgery patients and sitting uncomfortably at desk jobs spurred her on.

Kakashi jumped back, and Sakura took the opening. She produced four kage bunshins and used the smoke they exuded to slip underground. Kakashi had taught her the technique a few days before her chuunin exam, and it had played an integral part in her passing. The earthbound decapitation technique had incapacitated her opponent, and the boy had been forced to surrender.

The copy-ninja watched the four clones of Sakura charge towards him. Certain that none of the four was the real one, he scanned all directions and quickly came to the conclusion that she was underneath just as a hand shot out of the ground and grabbed his ankle. Sakura pulled hard and buried the man's body in the ground.

Kakashi's kage bunshin dispelled the instant Sakura pulled it underground. The girl now stood alone in the clearing, and she let a low "che" fall from her lips. Kakashi was nowhere to be found, and she used the time to plot her next move.

A leaf fell before Sakura's eyes, and her eyes widened when a shower of leaves suddenly swirled around her. She began to lose her footing as the ground commenced swaying, and a wave of artificial nausea crashed over her when neither the sky nor the earth would stand still.

_Shit_, Sakura thought to herself, and she forced her hands into a seal.

"This won't work on me, Kakashi-sensei!" she yelled into the vortex of space in front of her before she yelled out the word "Kai!"

The clearing was still empty. Sakura took a second to regain her equilibrium, and that was all the time Kakashi needed.

"Sakura, behind you."

It was deja vu all over again, only this time there weren't any shitty illusions of Sasuke dying—not that that illusion would work on her anymore.

Sakura raised her kunai just in time to block Kakashi's, and the force of the two daggers hitting each other pushed both ninja backwards. They separated to opposite sides of the clearing again, and Sakura began to move her hands into twelve distinct seals.

"Monkey, tiger, bird, horse, bird, monkey, dog, horse . . ." The seal was complicated, and Sakura was sure she could finish before Kakashi did anything, but that was when an undiluted, black mist fell over the clearing.

_He used the same jutsu! _Sakura's mind screamed to itself, and a lump rose in Sakura's throat. She couldn't see for an inch in any direction, so she shut her eyes and used her other senses.

She felt him right in front of her, and as Kakashi swung a kick at Sakura's ankles, the girl jumped too late. She fell unceremoniously to the ground but she still had the composure to grab Kakashi's shirt and bring him to the ground with her. The jutsu of darkness expelled, and they landed with a soft thud.

Immediately Sakura slammed her hands together in a quick succession of seals. But Kakashi was quicker. He grabbed her by the wrist and pressed both her arms firmly against the ground above her head.

He leaned forward and whispered playfully into her ear.

"Do you surrender?"

Her lips curled into a catty smile.

"Never. You cheated, using the sharingan to suggest a jutsu you knew I couldn't do in time."

Kakashi's grip on her wrists loosened, and Sakura supposed that if she'd wanted to she could have wiggled out of his hold, but she simply lay there beneath him. The feeling of another warm body pressed against hers heightened her sense of touch tenfold, and she shivered slightly as a cool wind blew across her face.

In the moonlight Kakashi's bare face was smooth and pale, and Sakura fought the urge to lift her hand and run her fingers across his skin. _No, that wouldn't do, _her fuzzy brain told her, and so she simply looked up at the pair of mismatched eyes gazing down at her.

"All's fair, Sakura."

He didn't move off her, and she didn't attempt to escape his hold. For a minute she thought she felt his body stiffen, but then his right hand slithered off her wrist completely, and it traced lightly across her side, coming to rest of her hipbone. Sakura's breath caught in her throat, and she let out a sound akin to a hiccup. As if the small noise was his cue, Kakashi leaned in so close that the tips of their noses touched.

Sakura finally pulled herself together.

"What are you doing?" she hissed, but before she could grind out anymore venomous questions, Kakashi's lips descended onto her exposed neck.

The sensation was inexplicable. It tickled but simultaneously made her shudder.

His lips were soft and gentle on her skin, and she caved to it almost instinctively. Her leg moved of its own volition to wrap around his, and she felt herself gently rubbing the back of his calf with her foot. Kakashi rolled them over so they were side to side, and as soon he did, she saw what had prompted his strange show of affection.

Three foot soldiers were standing across the clearing, watching the two intently. It was like free entertainment to them.

A wave of embarrassment washed over Sakura so fiercely that she felt the heat in her cheeks could have burned a hole in the ground.

So Kakashi had only started their little session to distract the men from charging at them and immediately demanding why they were out after curfew and why there was a giant hole in the middle of the clearing.

Even so, their little ruse could delay the soldiers no longer, and the three men walked briskly across the field. Each surveyed the hole in the ground with great suspicion, and a new wave of panic crashed down upon Sakura when the first man in the group yelled out.

"What the hell do you two think you're doing out here? It's after curfew, and where the fuck did this hole in the ground come from?"

Kakashi leaned in, and whispered quickly to Sakura. She was pleased to hear that his tone was confident, and a bit of relief settled inside her.

"They haven't seen our faces yet. I'll get the two men in front, you take the one in back. Knock them at the vital point for a concussion, and don't let them see your face."

Sakura mouthed a quick "okay," and together they disappeared in a blur of speed.

- - - -

It took the two ninja less than twenty minutes to carry the three soldiers back to town. There they procured alcohol from one of the seedier establishments, and proceeded to pour the sake on the unconscious men. Carefully, Sakura positioned the mens' hands so that each soldier would wake with a bottle of stale sake still entangled in his fingers.

When all this was done, they moved the three men to a brothel's porch, and arranged the motionless figures so they would wake still playing the pitiful scene. Sakura lingered a bit, and Kakashi quickly assured her that they would remember nothing of what had occurred.

"You hit your guy on the fifth vital point in the back of the neck, didn't you?"

Sakura nodded, but the worried look failed to leave her face and she continued biting her lip.

"Good. Even if they do remember anything, it shouldn't go past seeing us--" Kakashi paused.

"Sorry about that," he muttered in a low voice.

The heat rose in Sakura's cheeks again, and a distinctly white-hot feeling pushed up the back of her neck. She would probably have broken into a sweat had Kakashi not motioned for them to move out at that moment, and she settled into dragging her feet along the dusty street as she followed him back to the inn. How she was going to sleep in the same bed with him without being plagued by the flashbacks of his hungry kiss and soft touch, she did not know.

When they got back to the inn, neither of the two spoke a word to the other, and they went straight to bed. Kakashi fell asleep almost instantly, but Sakura lay stiffly on her side of the mattress, and it seemed to her as if every single sense in her body was heightened at the moment. The ticking of the wall clock forced its way through her ears and into her brain, and even the pale green light of the smoke detector on the roof seemed to worm its way under her eyelids. It was past three o'clock when she finally drifted off into a troubled sleep.

- - - -

The following day came cold and dewy.

The humidity in the air was so dense that it seemed almost tangible, yet the layers of misty fog floating about Todashi spoke to the distinct chill in the air. Some sparrows chirped high notes through the cool haze, and Sakura woke to the feel of someone shaking her awake. Assuming she'd overslept, she sat straight up so quickly that she promptly knocked the cup of tea that Kakashi was trying to offer her out of his hands. Her mouth fell open as she watched the cup make a smooth arc in the air, and she shut her eyes to brace herself for its painful crash on the hardwood floor.

It never came.

When she opened her eyes again, Kakashi was once again offering the same cup of tea to her.

She laughed.

He had caught the cup before it had the chance to make a mess of itself on the floor.

He gave her a content little smile and moved to forcibly fold her fingers around the teacup. Sakura noted that her fingers only absorbed a nominal amount of warmth, and she assumed that it had already been some time since Kakashi had made the tea. She wanted to open her mouth and voice a "thank you," but she couldn't help but notice that they still hadn't spoken a word to each other. Sakura didn't tilt her head down to see what kind of tea had been forced upon her, instead she simply kept looking into his eyes, and never once did she blink. Kakashi too followed her piercing jade gaze with his own mismatched eyes, but he broke the connection before she could read anything from his expression.

"You better get ready, we're going to leave soon."

And with that he pushed himself off the bed and made his way to the door.

Sakura suddenly noticed how cold the right side of her body felt, and she slowly ran her hand over the blanket on her right leg. It was still so pleasantly warm. Kakashi had been sitting so close to her just a few seconds ago.

"_No, no,_" she thought to herself. "_You must not be thinking about Kakashi-sensei, you're on a mission for heaven's sake, Sakura!"_

And it was inner Sakura's overwhelming rationality that gave Sakura the energy to abandon her cozy bed where Kakashi had been resting with her. She made her way to the cold, tiled bathroom like a dead woman.

The chill possessed her the minute she stepped out of the inn after settling the bill. Kakashi was waiting in the street, and he watched her carefully as she instinctively wrapped her hands around her arms and ran her palms from her elbows to her shoulders and back. The minute amount of friction only gave her temporary reprieve from the cold mist, and by the time she reached Kakashi on the other side of the street, she could feel her teeth begin to chatter.

He gave her a pitying look, and told her to wait as he began rummaging through his pack. Pulling out an old, civilian sweater, he offered it to her, and she took it with the most pathetic yet grateful look upon her face. As it belonged to a man, the sweater looked as if it were going to be ill-fitting, but the color was muted enough not to clash with her gray dress. As Sakura pulled it over her head, Kakashi's distinctively masculine smell enveloped her. It was all she could do to fully pull the sweater over her head and not get lost inside its comforting scent.

"Are you hungry?" Kakashi asked softly.

"A little." answered Sakura..

"Well get some money out, we're going to the market."

And for the first time since the previous night, Sakura remembered that they were here to see about a little girl.

Nothing but the sound of cold sand crunching beneath their feet accompanied the two to the market. They knew they were going the right way as more and more people accumulated around them as they approached the area. Sakura let a little sound of annoyance slip from her lips as she realized the abundance of people would make it even more difficult to discover this nameless girl. Her expression of irritation did not go unnoticed, and Kakashi seemed to absorb her line of thought. He quietly steered them into an empty alley, and whispered to Sakura in a muted voice.

"What would you steal if you were a hungry child just trying to get by?"

Sakura pondered his question, and she felt absolutely ridiculous as a simple answer was the only one that came to mind.

"I don't know . . . Bread? Milk? Sweets?" She answered wearily.

Kakashi nodded.

"We should get all three," he mulled, and Sakura realized his tone was more of a statement than a suggestion. She nodded.

They slipped unnoticed out of the tiny alley and looked for the nearest vendor. They bought food from three different booths before settling in to a routine. Sakura would walk down each street appearing to be interested in fruits for sale while she shakily carried two large bags full of bread in her arms. Kakashi would follow a few paces behind with a jug of milk in cradled in one arm and a basket of mochi in the other. He would stop every now and then to question a vendor about the price of his radishes. This little act continued into early evening, and when nothing had been thieved from them by then, Kakashi decided to call it a day.

Sakura was disappointed, and after they checked into a cozy inn closer to the outdoor market, she went to the bathroom straightaway to take a shower. It had become a habit of hers that, when utterly frustrated or angry, she would wile away as much time as possible under the scorching hot rain her shower head offered. Unfortunately, their lodging for the night was understandably low on coal, and the shower turned to ice after only a few minutes. This only added to Sakura's frustration, and she marched out into the bedroom wearing only a towel around her body and scowl on her face.

Kakashi looked up from his Icha-Icha paradise to see an angry, dripping wet Sakura rummaging through her pack for what he assumed would be undergarments. This proved to be a difficult scene for Kakashi to handle since the very chapter he was currently reading involved an angry little temptress who'd just emerged from a steamy shower. In the book, the toweled girl was currently furious with her lover due to some indiscretion on his part, but this fact was only a prelude to the scene in which she was about to jump into bed with him and screw his brains out until daylight.

Kakashi was sure that this was _not _going to happen with Sakura, but the smallest part of him twitched at the thought.

The copy-ninja shook his head like a dog ridding its ears of water, and he instinctively cleared his throat, as he always did when he found himself in unnecessarily awkward situations. This drew Sakura's attention, and due to her profound lack of self-confidence, she automatically assumed some indecent part of her body was showing. But upon discovering that her large, fluffy towel was well-secured, she cast Kakashi an odd look and slipped back into the bathroom.

The night passed with a lack of disturbance. They made a dinner out of their groceries which they unfortunately still had, and Kakashi read some more of his dirty novel while Sakura perused a textbook she'd brought on chakra points. The next morning the two woke early for breakfast at a local eatery. Sakura couldn't help but linger on the fact that she and Kakashi had said frighteningly little to each other since the small "incident" in the clearing two nights previous, so she made an effort to strike up conversation at breakfast.

"The food here is pretty different, isn't it?" Sakura remarked as she tenderly poked at her tofu with a chopstick.

"It's unique," responded Kakashi. He seemed less willing to critique the food as he popped a pickled cucumber into his mouth."But something's missing from this dish . . ."

Since they were sitting at the bar area in front of the kitchen, Kakashi managed to hail the chef down with relative ease, and the sweating man approached them with an air of nervousness. He wiped his greasy hands on his already soiled apron, and he looked up at Kakashi, as if ready for some reproach.

"Where are the shredded radishes?" Kakashi asked nicely, and he motioned to the naked fried egg on his plate. Sakura assumed that the egg was missing its garnishment, but she couldn't figure out why Kakashi even cared. She herself would never eat eggs with radishes . . .

The man bowed apologetically.

"Sorry, sorry, it's just that . . . they were stolen from my son as he brought them back from the market yesterday, and by the time I tried to buy more they were all sold-out. I'm having him pick up extra as we speak. Please don't take this as a lack of culinary expertise. If you come back tomorrow I can give you a meal for free . . ." The man looked more and more pitiful as he continued his explanation, and Sakura put her hand on Kakashi's knee, imploring him to ask the chef to stop.

"No, it's no trouble sir, I was just wondering. This meal is delicious."

The man bowed again and muttered one last apology before he hustled away to check on a pot of soup that was about to overflow.

"Radishes, hm?" Kakashi mulled as he grasped his chin between his thumb and forefinger. He looked up at the roof in deep thought, and he made an amused little statement.

"I guess she didn't want milk or bread or even sweets."

"What an odd little girl we've got on our hands," admitted Sakura as she gingerly took a bite out of a piece of cold fish. She promptly spat it back out into her napkin.

They paid for their meal, and the chef saw them out. He continued to make sad promises of a free meal with radishes included if they would only take the time to come back the next day. Sakura assured him that his cooking was excellent, and they made their way out of the shop feeling a little guilty. But the short walk to the fresh produce section of the market was pleasant, and soon Sakura's mind was once again focused on the mission.

They stopped in front of an apple vendor's booth, and Kakashi slipped a few coins in Sakura's hands.

"Meet me at the radish stand. Today I think you should pick up some apples and some leafy vegetables. This girl has got a really strange palette for a child."

Sakura nodded in affirmation, and she turned happily to the apple vendor and asked for a few of his reddest apples. The man gave her a kind smile, and he proceeded to pick out three of the brightest, fattest apples Sakura had ever seen.

By the time Sakura had purchased a few bunches of water spinach, Kakashi was already at the radish stand haggling over some of the more handsome looking vegetables. Sakura glanced at the packages in his arms, and she saw that he had already picked up some carrots and cucumbers. Judging by the look on the vendors face and his crossed arms, Sakura assumed that the price Kakashi was currently offering was simply too low. She laughed a little to herself, and set about slowly walking towards him and the angry radish merchant.

Then out of the corner of her eye she saw a motion.

To a civilian, the motion would have been so quick that it would have bordered on undetectable. To a ninja, the movement belonged to a young girl speeding through the crowd. Sakura's heart skipped a little, and she looked up at Kakashi. He too had seen the movement for he had already brushed off the radish vendor and was moving as quickly and as casually as he could towards Sakura.

The kunoichi felt the packet of apples being tugged out of her hands, and she let it go against the force. The minute she did so, both she and Kakashi were off. Not a soul in the market noticed them disappear, as their stealth of motion was too extreme for the naked, civilian eye. They both looked ahead to the girl they were tailing. Two pigtails of deep ebony hair were pulled against the back of her head, and she wore a raggedy yellow dress. There were no shoes on her feet, yet she continued to dart through the crowd with such speed and ease that Sakura finally understood how nobody had managed to catch her so far.

The little girl cast a smiling glance backwards, but this look quickly faltered when she discovered the victims of her robbery were tailing her quite easily. Her amethyst eyes widened, and for a minute a look of sheer terror glazed her face. Sakura took this opportunity to take in the girl's features.

She looked about nine-years-old, had deeply tanned skin, and, much to Sakura's amusement, a rather prominent forehead. The girl being chased turned her neck to look ahead once again, and Sakura felt a surge in chakra from ahead of her. The girl intended to speed up.

Kakashi gave a silent signal, and Sakura nodded in response. They both channeled the momentum they currently carried into the ground, and used to force to propel themselves onto the top of a nearby building. From there they watched the girl speeding away, and they leisurely hopped from building to building following her lightning-fast route. Finally, after jumping across nearly two dozen buildings, Sakura noticed the girl coming to rest.

She had taken shelter in a small deserted alley nearly a mile from the market, and it was only when she was sure Sakura and Kakashi were gone did she sit down and admire her bounty.

But the girl's relief was cut short when the two ninja she had stolen from touched down in front of her. She let out a desperate squeak and jumped to her feet, but for some reason she couldn't bring her body to move. Instead, she found herself transfixed by the gaze of the man with the red, circular left eye. She looked up into his face, terrified, and her legs buckled beneath her.

Sakura rushed forward to the shaking girl, and she knelt in front of her.

"We're not going to hurt you." assured Sakura. The girl did not respond

"What's your name?" pressed Sakura.

The girl continued to twitch, and tears began welling up at the corners of her eye.

Sakura shushed her gently, and she once again asked the girl for her name.

"R-R-ioke," the girl finally stuttered, and her body stilled marginally.

"Rioke, that's a pretty name."

Sakura smiled warmly at her, but the kunoichi couldn't help but notice that Rioke was still looking intently at Kakashi. The faintest feeling of malice wafted over Sakura, but she immediately caught herself and continued speaking tenderly towards the girl, who now had tears streaming down the sides of her face.

"Rioke, we want to help you."

There was a pause, and then the meekest voice spoke out.

"You? You do?" Rioke answered to Kakashi, as if he had spoken with Sakura's voice.

Sakura furrowed her brow, and she took a deep breath to still her frustration with the child. When she had collected her calm, she continued in the sweetest most pacifying voice she could muster.

"We want you to travel with us. We can take you somewhere safe, and we will keep you out of the cold, and we'll feed you. You won't ever have to steal food again. You'll be able to eat whatever you want."

Rioke finally turned to Sakura, and her amethyst eyes were filled with suspicion. Beneath the sheen of mistrust, however, Sakura noted desperation, and she knew that with a little bit more prodding, Rioke would cave and go with them.

"Rioke," Kakashi finally spoke, and a tingle ran up Sakura's spine. His voice was deeply masculine and entirely confident. The smooth, velvety tone did not go unnoticed by Rioke either, and the girl's head immediately snapped back to look up at the handsome man now speaking to her.

"We think you're special. You actually probably know you're a little different from the other kids. You're not safe here, and you'll always be in trouble because of your gift."

"You think what I can do is a gift? Everyone at home said it was a curse." said the girl in an almost bitter tone.

"Did your mother and father try and protect you?" Sakura asked.

Rioke nodded her head vigorously, and when she stilled Sakura could see how puffy and red her eyes had become, but the channels of water that had formed on the side of her face had begun to dry.

"When the men with swords came, they burned down our field. I tried to stop them from hurting us, but my mother told me to run away as fast as I could and hide. I did what she told me to but when I was too scared to hide anymore, I went back to look for them . . ."

A small hiccup escaped the girl's mouth, and her tears began to flood forward again and even faster. Sakura inched a little bit closer to the girl and moved to hug her, but she shook Sakura's embrace off. Instead, Rioke continued to look pleadingly up at Kakashi until he finally stepped forward, knelt alongside Sakura, and softly patted her dark hair. Rioke did not reject his touch, and a fresh wave of contempt swept over Sakura. She suddenly realized that she was no longer Kakashi's only female protégé, and that her spot would soon be usurped by this bloodline-imbued brat.

A scowl unseen by either of the two graced Sakura's face, and she stood up.

"We should get going. It's not safe to stay in Todashi." Sakura said pointedly, and Kakashi nodded.

"Do you want to ride on my back, Rioke?" Kakashi asked warmly. The girl quickly wiped her tears on her dirty sleeve and nodded an eager yes.

Kakashi smiled.

"But first let's get you some new clothes."

---

- - - - -

---

They traveled twelve kilometers to the north, Rioke chattering happily to Kakashi the entire way. Sakura felt like an outcast, and she pouted beneath her bangs to ensure that Kakashi would not see her somber face. They took two short breaks along the way, and each time they would wander off the main road into a secluded area of the forest where Rioke would ambitiously show Kakashi what she was capable of. Sakura didn't want to admit it, but the girl was incredibly talented.

They had a lunch of raw vegetables, to which Rioke was strangely inclined, and after they'd tucked in on carrots and radishes, the little girl picked up a couple oak leaves. She waltzed over to Kakashi and after making sure that he was watching, she set them on fire. Kakashi gave her a wide grin as a reward, and delighted that she had made him smile, she promptly picked up another handful of leaves and turned them to dust in one swift motion. The girl was fire and earth natured, Sakura realized, and the specter of jealousy that had been plaguing her all morning clawed ever more achingly at the back of her throat.

When night fell, the trio settled in a quiet town called Hikiyama. They rented a room in the only inn in area. When they got to their sleeping quarters, Sakura immediately took Rioke to the bath to wash off the months of filth and grime that had accumulated on the girl. Rioke was quiet the entire time that Sakura bathed her and scrubbed shampoo in her hair. The lack of communication only fueled Sakura's growing dislike for the girl.

After she helped Rioke towel off, Sakura searched her pack for something the girl could sleep in. She pulled out the sweater Kakashi had given her without the intention of sharing it with Rioke, but the girl seemed to feel that it belonged to Kakashi, and she instantly demanded the sweater. Sakura had secretly been meaning to save it throughout the trip, but she knew there was no way Kakashi would let her keep it if the girl who was now in their charge wanted it.

She grudgingly handed the sweater to the little girl who happily slipped it over her head. Her frame was small and frail, and the sweater fell just a bit above her knees. If Sakura hadn't felt that the girl was such a thorn in her side, she would have admitted that Rioke did make a cute picture.

The final straw, however, came when it was time for bed.

Sakura had assumed that Kakashi would be sleeping on the couch while she shared the bed with Rioke, but the girl seemed to have different plans.

"Kakashi?" Rioke asked timidly. Kakashi had told her that she didn't need to bestow on him an honorary.

"Hm?"

"Can I sleep with you tonight?"

"Sure. Sakura-san can sleep on the couch."

A vein popped in Sakura's head, but she had trained herself to be passive-aggressive enough to hold her anger. Instead she stood up, and in the falsest tone she had ever put on, asked Rioke for some space.

"Rioke, will you give Kakashi and me a moment?"

The girl nodded, and with a little smile on her lips, she fell back into the fluffy bed.

Sakura all but dragged Kakashi outside, and when they were far enough from the inn, she exploded.

"WHO THE HELL DOES THAT GIRL THINK SHE IS? WHO WAS THE ONE WHO BATHED HER AND FOUND HER SOMETHING TO WEAR? WHO WAS THE ONE WHO TALKED TO HER IN THE BEGINNING? YOU'VE DONE NOTHING FOR HER AND SHE'S ABSOLUTELY TAKEN WITH YOU!!"

Sakura was breathing heavily by the time she'd finished, and a few crickets chirping highlighted the disparity between the silence of the night and her little outburst.

"Sakura. She's nine-years-old. If she likes me and that helps her trust us, I don't have a problem with it and I don't see why you do."

The kunoichi suddenly felt embarrassed, and she backed slowly against a tree. A full moon was out, and its light played gently on her skin and hair. She looked down at the ground, slightly ashamed although not entirely placated. There was utter silence between the two ninja, and the sound of a raccoon scurrying away floated through the air.

And then Sakura felt Kakashi's fingers on her chin, and he gently pushed her gaze up until she was looking into his eyes. Sakura swallowed heavily upon realizing that he had closed the previously vast proximity between. She backed even further into the tree, and she suddenly wished that her body would go through the thing entirely, but she was not a ghost.

Kakashi leaned in, but he didn't go for her neck or lips. His mouth came to rest a few inches from her ear, and he whispered in the softest voice Sakura had ever heard.

"Are you jealous of Rioke, Sakura-_chan_?"

"No!" Sakura shot back too quickly for her answer to be convincing.

Kakashi's left hand was lingering oddly close to Sakura's thigh, and the heat radiating from his body buffered her from the chilly night air. His hair tickled the side of her cheek. Somewhere in the distance an owl hooted. Sakura reached up tentatively, as if she were going to run her fingers softly down the back of Kakashi's neck, but she stilled her hand mid-motion, and his head dipped a little lower as if anticipating her action.

"There's something," Kakashi suddenly whispered.

Sakura didn't know how to reply as she had no idea what Kakashi was talking about.

But it soon became evident why Kakashi had made such a funny statement, and he pulled his body up to look straight through Sakura.

Worried that she had offended him somehow, Sakura desperately searched his face only to find the man staring past her shoulder. Sakura quickly turned and peaked around the tree.

Three ninja stood in the clearing smirking at them. The man standing in front wore a sand headband protector, and the two women standing behind him wore headbands with the grass insignia. Sakura's heart jumped into her throat, and all the adrenaline that she'd felt from Kakashi being so close pumped through her in a different way. It was getting her ready to fight.

"Sorry to interrupt your little moment, you two, but we're here for the girl," the sand ninja said firmly.

"Che, who would have known the leaf were collecting kodomo-nin. I thought you guys were above that," sneered the girl on the right.

And Sakura realized that they were going to have to fight to kill. It wasn't about Rioke anymore. The mercenary ninja _knew_.


End file.
